Restaurant patrons frequently use credit cards to pay for meals and, in doing so, commonly experience the following sequence of events.
First, a waiter delivers a bill to the patron. Next, the patron hands a credit card to the waiter. Then, the waiter disappears with both bill and credit card, makes a telephone call to verify whether the credit card account will accommodate addition of the restaurant bill, and, if so, returns with a receipt for the patron to sign. If not, the waiter returns instead with solemn news, and request an alternate means of payment.
Several disadvantages exist with this type of transaction. One stems from the patron's relinquishment of possession of the credit card, which can cause a slight amount of anxiety in some patrons. This anxiety can be heightened if the waiter forgets to return it.
A second disadvantage is the delay involved: the waiter, in collecting the bill, makes five trips:                one trip to deliver the bill;        a second trip to obtain the credit card from the patron;        a third trip to make the telephone call;        a fourth trip to return the credit card to the patron, with a receipt for signing; and        a fifth trip to file the receipt.As a rough estimate, these trips probably represent ⅕ to ½ the total number of trips made by the waiter to the patron's table. If these trips can be reduced in number, the waiters can perhaps devote the time recovered to better service.        
A third disadvantage is the requirement of informing a patron that a credit card charge has been declined, which serves to embarrass the patron.
Patents exist on communication devices which allow a waiter to perform a credit card transaction at the patron's table. However, many of these devices are complicated to learn to use. One of the reasons for this difficulty is that a large number of features are packed into the device, requiring a large amount of time to master them all. They also require expensive equipment.